Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games DS

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Summary:

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games will take players to Vancouver, Canada, host city of the official 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This gaming experience invites players of all ages and skill sets to face-off in some of the most intense winter competitions. Tailored to the specific system controls, Nintendo DS and Wii gamers will enjoy completely unique experiences thanks to each platform having its own specific gameplay features and modes. Players of all skill levels will enjoy the intuitive controls of both the Wii and Nintendo DS systems, in both single and multiplayer gaming modes.

8.0

With the success of the well-received and widely popular Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, it was just too good an opportunity to pass and not make a sequel; so after two years, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games was finally released. It still offers the players the same 27 events based on the core disciplines of the Olympic Games which features both classic and dream events. The once popular sprints and pole vaults however, are now replaced with snowboarding, hockey, skiing, skating, curling, and many more. What’s great in this new version is that you can choose which sport to play from the very start.

The game’s dream events filled with beautiful settings like rolling hills, gleaming snow, and clear blue skies makes this game interesting. The only downside to this is that each dream event mode requires unlocking done by single-player mode or multiplayer mode. What’s more annoying is that most of the events in the game are not worth the time it takes to unlock the different dream events. But what did you really expect? It would be such a bore if everything was simply handed down, right?

The one event in this game which really rocks is curling. Not many people know what this sport is but I guess once they get to know what it is they’ll get hooked. Curling is a mix of bocce ball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes. Simply put, the player who throws rocks closest to the target wins. It might seem ordinary but what makes this game fun is that the developers incorporate the actual game into how you control each throw. Speed, strength, and different ways of countering each throw can be controlled giving you full power of how it turns out. Say goodbye to blaming it all on the computer for your failure.

Working your way through the game can be such a bust when it becomes repetitive. Each event can be replayed until you reach the necessary skill level you wish to have. The tracks and courses are predetermined so once you have already played it; it won’t excite you as much as it did the first time around. The controls were also made to be user-friendly making it somewhat easy even for casual players. But hey, not everyone gets good at it that fast.

Besides the different events, Mario & Sonic also offer players a chance to some party games namely balloon popping and wheel spinning. These are strategically placed randomly before the start of each Olympic event.

This game might get you hooked right away but it will also bore you as fast as it enticed you. The whole package could have been put together better if it had been more exciting games and if the controls were as engaging as it hoped to be. It fails in comparison to the previous Olympic game in terms of graphics but it makes up for it in terms of being imaginative. Overall, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a disappointment. But if you are that type of person who enjoys unlocking levels and stages then this game is just enough to keep you distracted or busy for the moment since the events are really not that mind-blowing. Still, it will not stop anyone, both kids and those kids at heart, from enjoying it especially during gatherings.

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